The point is that we are animals.
And to live, and continue living, we must consume living material.
Both plant and animal, as we must have animal protein.
Like it or not, we must consume some part of an animal.
Life abounds around us, for us to use.
It must, or we wouldn't be here.
But it is not inexhaustible.
So we must draw on it wisely.
This means taking what we must have, but also in assisting animal and plant life to flourish.
In that way we can replace a lot of what we use.
Indiscriminate destruction of animal and plant life does not assist us.
Because the world is already seriously overcrowded, we need to become very efficient at using our diminishing food resources.

No. That’s not the way it works.
ttbn,
I know that this is how it has been for too long & I for one don't want to continue along those futile lines. Ipso Fatso gets it as do several others. Destroying fish stock for entertainment is wrong as is the fatal maiming by using barbed hooks !
Is really too difficult for people to admit that what's happening is wrong ? In the late 80's we had school teachers stationed in our area & quite a few locals who targeted an annual Jew fish breeding congregation for about five years in a row really heavy. In the sixth year & ever since, Jew fish don't use the spot anymore. There were full ute loads of the fish taken to the local dump because they couldn't give away enough to prevent them from being dumped. If anyone can explain the "recreational" part in that please do so ! At a northern river "recreational" fishers from Cairns put nets right across the river mouth & I don't think In need to explain how that worked for several years of being done ! Crocodile Danger signs being souveneered or holes shot through them or untalented redneck graffity artists doing their thing on Aboriginal land signs ! Do I need to go on ?
I don't think so but the impact on the marine ecology up North will be noticable for years yet !

Indyvidual,

Perhaps you don't understand what I've said, so I shall accept your opinion on the subject and move on.

I have found in my life that there is no point in fussing over things you can't do anything about.

All I can suggest is that you take your views to people who might be able to do something about it. However, these days you are unlikely to get even an automated acknowledgement from people misnamed 'elites', let alone any action.

An established pastime is difficult to change.
People have been fishing for as long as we have existed?
So it is difficult to change that habit.
But the world today is not the world of yesterday.
Today we must think more of the future, or there will be no future.
As I said before, the world is already overcrowded.
We cannot go on indefinitely using our resources so wolfishly.
Whole species in the animal kingdom die out when there is lack of food.
We will too, if we go on lavishly using everything we can instead of only that which we need.
The time to make logical changes is now, not tomorrow.
Unfortunately it takes time for community thinking to catch up with reality.
But it will. It must. Or future generations will suffer.

People have been fishing for as long as we have existed?
Ipso fatso,
Yes and, there's no reason to stop. Just take less & don't use barbed hooks ! is that really so much to ask to prevent the disruption of breeding cycles?
I recall asking a schoolteacher why he catches so much fish & his reply was "I need to get back the money I spend for petrol on the boat" ??
The indigenous ladies sitting on the shore, throwing hand lines into the water are the true "recreational" fishers. They chat & when they have enough to feed the family they go home.
The well-paid people are the ones who go out with thousands of Dollars worth of gear & rejoice when a big fish "Wow, what a sporting fish" is fighting for its life in front of cameras to show off their blatant disregard for the ecology ! And, when an area is literally fished out a new one is lined up for the same fate !

My wife's Maori people when there is a special thing on are allowed to "fish" for as much as they like, and its always shared, with nothing wasted, they never take more than required. Taking too much is considered bad. Yet many Pakeha will fish all day when the fish are biting taking too much for their needs.